Brains Over Beauty

Let The Race Begin

  The chilled waters collided against my ankles, trying to pull my feet with it as it retreats back towards the horizon. The dark golden sand that had had been kissed by the waves had bonded with the pads of my feet as they guided me along the shore. Only lost footprints and forgotten sandcastles were left behind alongside the few seashells and debris scattered among them. 

  The warm golden rays of heat peeked over the horizon and hit my face giving me a bit of protection  from the cool coastal breeze. My eye fluttered shut as I tilted my head up towards the rising sun, letting the warmth of the rays coat my face. I always came here early in the morning or late at night to clear my head and reflect. It was my place to come get away from the world and my problems for a couple minutes or hours or days, but that was back when my monsters inside were raging and eating me alive. This vacant little beach just a few blocks away from home was the place that I could find comfort and peace in.

  I felt my phone buzzing repeatedly in my back pocket as my alarm clock went off signaling that it's almost time to get ready for school. I reluctantly turned away from beautiful view and dragged my feet along the sand back to reality. The streets were already filled with life of early bird joggers, people walking dogs, cars, and people in suits rushing to their 9 to 5. I walk with my head down the rest of the way home until I reached my block reluctantly dragging myself to my backdoor that I left unlocked and inside my house. My parents - that I have been trying to avoid - voice was the first thing I heard. I silently closed the door behind me and tried to tiptoe my way past them in the kitchen, but it seemed like the floorboards weren't playing along with me. I froze in my spot as they stopped talking hoping they didn't hear or that they just shrug it off as nothing.

  "Rosalynn? Darling, is that you," My mother's soft spoken voice called out, her British accent still heavy and thick. I silently cursed under my breathe and fixed myself up to go meet with my parents.

  "Yes, mother. It's me." I slowly walked into the kitchen to see my mom elegant as always, even when she has nowhere to go, with her her hair pined back and her pearls around her neck and a long black spring dress.

  "There you are. Thought you were never going to get home," My dad joked in his casual laid back voice.

  My parents are the complete opposite of each other. My mom is posh, elegant. high class. and came from a wealthy family in Britain. My dad on the hand is a fun loving, carefree, laid back city boy that came from a lower-income Haitian-Dominican family in New York. They met on a business trip in Australia 21 years ago and my dad told me at first she wanted nothing to do with him, but he sent a single white rose and a piece of caramel chocolate and a date idea everyday that whole 2 weeks to her hotel room until she finally said yes to a single date to him on the last day of the trip. The spent the entire morning together deciding last minute to bail on their flights home and stay together in Australia for another two weeks. 

  At the end of their extended  stay, my dad convinced her to come with him back to America. Her parents were furious when she told them the news of meeting the love of her life. They couldn't believe she would go for a man who they believe was beneath her and they wouldn't let her come home. So, my parents went ahead and decided to get married anyway granting my mother citizenship, a long loving marriage and of course, me.

  "Hey dad. Did you fix my car?" I tried not to sound too needy as I asked, but after what happened yesterday, I was desperate to have my car back.

  "Yup, it's fixed and ready for the road," My dad chuckled. Leave it to my dad to laugh at himself. 

   I thanked him and excused myself while I sped to my room. I glanced at my clock and mentally thanked my decision to shower before I left earlier since I only had 20 minutes left. I threw on  black joggers and navy blue v neck, then completed the look by pulling my hair up in a messy bun and stuck a mechanical pencil through it. I went out to my closet full of sneakers and picked out my black Jordans. Swinging my bag on my shoulders I rushed down the stairs and grabbing my keys as I screaming bye to my parents.